Chocolate Banana Snack Cake

Back in High School, I ate a package of Ding-Dongs and drank a chocolate milkshake almost every day for lunch. I could buy them both for fifty cents in the cafeteria. Of course, I was as skinny as a stick back then, but I still cringe when I think of it.

I’m sure that if my childhood home had had easily accessible healthier options, I would have grabbed those and saved the fifty cents from my babysitting money.

I’m not sure what causes teens and preteens to crave junk food, but they usually do. My grandson will just suddenly announce, “I need some sugar and fat!”

I made him sample this EASY snack cake and he announced that it had the consistency of a brownie mixed with ice cream and tasted like a chocolate covered banana. Very high praise indeed.

If you want to focus on the healthy aspect, this recipe contains no eggs, no oil, and no dairy. It can also easily be made gluten-free if you use a good GF flour.

After it cooled, I immediately cut the cake into squares and wrapped them individually for the freezer. When school starts, it will be easy for the kids to throw one into their lunch boxes.

Chocolate-Banana Snack Cake

PC: Ann Kirsten

2 ripe bananas
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup no-added sugar applesauce
1/3 cup water or almond milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 ¼ cup flour or GF flour
¼ cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips (divided)
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract, and nuts for sprinkling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×8” pan.

Put the bananas in a mixing bowl and mix on low until the bananas are smashed. Add in: both sugars, the applesauce, water (or milk), vinegar and extract if you’re using it. Mix until well-blended.

Sprinkle the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the mixing bowl and mix on low just until blended. Stir in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread until smooth. Sprinkle the rest of your chocolate chips (and nuts, if using) over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes and remove to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Cut into squares and wrap them for school lunches. Pop them into the freezer where your kids can grab them (they’ll thaw by lunchtime).